Wakeup
by Sparky176
Summary: AU Naley. To get to your Happily Ever After, you gotta go through the evil stepmother and ugly stepsisters part.
1. Chapter 1

_I wanted to give a huge thanks to Mary for the beautiful banner (even though you can't see it on this site, but trust me, it's beautiful!) and to Michelle for being my Beta for this story!_

_I've wanted to write sort of a song fic, and after looking at some music that was on Grey's Anatomy I can across The Ditty Bops, which lead me to their song Wake-up, and thus, my new story. The story is 7 chapters long, each chapter to a verse. It's not based on the song like other fics or based on their songs, so bear with me please cause it's kind of more song inspired combined with a story I've wanted to write (Sorry, that really doesn't make too much sense). It's AU and everything should be explained throughout the story, but if you've got any questions just ask! Anyway, here's the first chapter. Hope you like it!_

**Wake-up**

**Chapter 1**

_Wake-up and smell the coffee_

_Rise and Shine_

_The early bird gets the worm_

_Strike while the iron's hot_

_And whistle while you work_

Haley stared at herself in the full-length mirror in the corner of her bedroom. She was wearing a black strapless gown that clung tightly to her body until it reached her hips, where it flowed elegantly to the floor, with Australian Crystals sewn on along the bust line and scattered down the dress. Her mother picked it out; explaining it would show off her tanned and toned assets, which Haley just rolled her eyes at. Her mother had been making her run every morning, work-out four days a week with a personal trainer, as well as have a personal tennis coach twice a week since she could remember, and in the past couple of years Lydia added on tanning. Haley went along with it because if she didn't she received the "We can't have the daughter of Jimmy and Lydia James looking fat, ugly, and pasty" lecture, but really she was just happy her mother hadn't made her go to a plastic surgeon for asset upgrades.

A simple string of white pearls adorned her neck, which was shown off with the elegant up-do her hair was done in. After putting in her matching pearl earring she let out a puff of air, causing the few strand of hair that framed her face to blow up. She was sick of having to play the part of perfection.

Jimmy James was the Vice President of Detour, one of the countries leading creators of new technology, which included weapons technology and supply. Not only is he one of the most well known and sought after man in Tree Hill and America for his knowledge and money, but the world as well. He loved to flaunt this little fact by throwing his kiss-my-ass parties. If there were ever a contest of who could throw the most lavish kiss-my-ass parties, Jimmy and Lydia James would be at the top. However, one man would beat them. Mr. Dan Scott, or as some refer to him, Satan, would have to take the cake when it came to kiss-my-ass parties. He was the President of Detour, which, unfortunately for Haley, meant that he worked closely with her father.

Haley took one finally look in the mirror before pivoting around and heading out of her bedroom. She walked down the hall until she got to the spiral staircase and looked out over the banister at the guests below. The main floor was a sea of black and white dresses and tuxes—the latest idea of Jimmy James. Not only does he throw kiss-my-ass parties, but themed kiss-my-ass-parties. So far this year there was the Masquerade Ball, an In the Magical Forest Party, an Arabian Nights party, A New York, New York Party, and now the Black and White affair. While she hated the fact that her father threw his little parties all the time she was just thankful that now they were at least creative, he had even hired a party coordinator.

Haley scanned the crowd and found Brooke standing next to the bar that was in the grand salon, dressed in elegant black dress and sipping a cocktail. Haley gracefully descended down the stairs and walked over to Brooke. After greeting each other and complimenting each other on their dresses, Haley turned toward the bartender and ordered her own drink.

"So Hales, have you decided where you are going to go for college yet? You should come to Duke with me. Last year was so much fun, you would love it. Ooh, we could get an apartment together and it would be so much fun. There's this one apartment complex like ten minutes from the campus and some of the hottest guys live there. I went to parties people threw there last year, and let me just tell you, yum!"

"I don't what I'm going to do yet Brookie. I got accepted to a couple places, and I figured over the summer I would sit down and figure out where I want to go and what I want to do."

"Well enough of this school talk. We are two sexy, single, women and our summer is just starting, so let's talk about the party that is happening at my beach house this Friday night. So I already got that DJ that worked my last party, do you remember how hot he was? The alcohol has been ordered and will arrive Friday morning, and Jason, the great brother that he is, said that he would go over there Thursday or Friday and move all the furniture out of the family room and living room, giving us, the best party to kick-off summer."

Before Haley could even respond to Brooke her dad came up and interrupted their conversation. "Haley, I'd like you to meet a few people that I work with."

"Daddy, I already know almost everyone that you work with. Can I please stay and enjoy the party with my friends."

"Humor me Haley. This will only take a couple of minutes. You can talk to Brooke later." Jimmy began walking off and, after a quick eye roll to Brooke, Haley followed after him towards a group of older men. "Smith, Johnson, Miller, this is my daughter Haley I was telling you about. Haley this is Mr. Smith, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Miller, and you already know Mr. Scott."

"Hi. It's a pleasure to meet all of you."

"She's lovely James. Everything you said she was." Mr. Smith, the man on the left in the black tuxedo told Jimmy before turning is attention toward Haley. "So, your father told us that you were the valedictorian, do you have any future plans of working at Detour?"

"Detour is known to be an impressive company, and if that is what is in the future for me, then I would be honored to be working at a company as great as that. But right now, I haven't fully decided on that quiet yet."

"Well I'm sure you would be an asset to Detour if that is what you would decide on, and I personally hope you do. Keeping a business as large and important as Detour in the family is vital because you never would want it to fall into the wrong hands. Speaking of, Mr. Scott, is it still the plan to have Nathan begin taking over the company soon."

"Well, I plan on staying President of Detour for quite a bit longer, but Nathan is suppose to begin working with me soon so that when he does take over the company the transition will be seamless." Haley tried to pay attention to the business talk that was going on in front of her, but over ten minutes later she decided it was time to escape.

"Well, if you gentlemen will excuse me, I think I just saw a few friends of mine arrive and I would like to go and greet them. It was a pleasure meeting all of you and a pleasure seeing you again Mr. Scott." Haley leaned in and kissed her father's cheek before walking towards the terrace where she saw Brooke.

"I swear, you'd think this whole smiling thing would get easier with every freaking' party my dad throws, but every night my cheeks feel like they've been pinched by my Aunt Gertrude like a million times." Haley stretched her mouth open trying to relieve the pain from the huge, fake smile she wore in front of her father's associates. "So find anything interesting around here?"

"Nope. Is your dad like incapable of inviting anyone else younger than like thirty to these parties? I swear most of these people are old enough to be my dad, or even my grandfather. Oh wait! I spoke too soon. Here comes the Spawn of Satan and his broody but hot cousin."

"Nice to see you too Brooke. Shouldn't you be corrupting little boys or something?"

"Nathan, Nathan, Nathan, don't you know, I don't corrupt little boys…I corrupt men. Speaking of, how are you doing this fine evening Lucas?"

"I'm fine Brooke. How are you?"

"Oh, you sure are fine, and so am I. So why don't you say the two of us go grab a drink." Brooke grabs Lucas's arm and they walked together towards the bar leaving Nathan and Haley alone on the terrace. Haley looked towards Nathan before she began to walk off in the other direction.

"What? I'm not good enough to talk to?"

"No sorry, I tend to try and stay away from evil spawns of Satan."

"That's a low blow Hales. I mean you're not quite the little Miss Perfect your image says you are."

"Don't call me Hales."

"Okay then, Haley."

"Don't call me that either."

"Then what the hell am I suppose to call you?"

"Don't call me anything at all. That sure would solve my problem." Haley turned back around and began walking away again. She grabbed a glass of champagne off of a waiter's tray before walking towards the gate that leads to the garden. After walking along the familiar path she came along the little pocket of the garden surrounded by tall hedges. There was a fountain in the middle that had a bench on one side of it. Bordering the fountain and bench were white rose bushes, which spread out to the hedges, which were covered by red climbing roses.

Haley sat her glass down on the side of the fountain before she laid down on her back on the bench. She stared up at the sky, reveling in its vastness when she heard someone come walking up.

"I figured I would find you here."

"Hey. Where's Lucas?"

"I left him in there by the bar. I didn't want to scare him off too fast so I figured I would come and find you. I think the parties about done anyways. The people your dad invites to his parties are like half asleep before midnight. Total party-poopers."

"Yeah. Come on; let's go back inside. Hopefully everyone else is gone because I need to get some sleep since my mom scheduled a 6am tennis lesson for me tomorrow morning. Aren't I lucky?"

"Hey, at least your parents act like you exist."

"Yeah, sometimes I wish they didn't. I mean, you would think that by now my mom would have some clue that I don't even like tennis. But apparently it never got through her thick skull the first million times I told her. I don't know where I'm going for college, but as long as it is away, that's all I care about."

"Sorry. How about some retail therapy then tomorrow afternoon? We have to get some hot do-me clothes for my party Friday."

"Brookie, all of your clothes are do-me clothes."

"I know, but you can never have enough." Haley just laughed at Brooke before she climbed up the stairs to her room while Brooke walked across the street to her parent's house.


	2. Chapter 2

_I wanted to give a huge thanks to Mary for my beautiful banner and to Michelle for being my Beta for this story!_

Thank you for the reviews! I really appreciate them! Here's the next chapter. Hope you like this chapter too!

**Wake-up**

**Chapter 2**

_Stay on the trail_

_Keep your hands and arms inside the train_

_Don't stray_

_Watch your step_

_And wipe your feet_

_Draw inside the lines_

The next Friday, after her early morning tennis lesson, Haley took a shower and got ready in a denim mini and a pink Abercrombie polo and brown flip-flops. She lightly curled her hair and put on a touch of make-up before grabbing her purse and hopping down the stairs. She walked across the street to Brooke's house and went in through the door on the side that connected directly to Brooke's home. Haley always told her she should lock the door because some pervert might try to come in there one night. Brooke would always just tell her that she hopes he's a hot pervert.

Haley found Brook in her usual position, in bed. Her head was lying on the pillow but she was tucked up in a ball so that her ass was sticking up in the air. Brooke always had a way of making her presence known, even when she was asleep. Haley pushed Brooke a little so that she would roll over on her side, but apparently she pushed her a little too hard because Brooke kept rolling until, THUD, she landed o-so gracefully on the floor. Brooke jumped to her feet and Haley tried to stifle the laugh when she saw Brooke's hair that is usually so perfectly done sticking up in every direction.

"What the hell!"

"Sorry, but now that you're up, want to do something?"

"Fine. But while I go take a shower you better go and get me some Starbucks."

"Okay." Haley began to walk towards the door as Brooke went to lie back down on her bed. "Oh no, you are getting up and getting ready or no Starbucks. No Mocha Frappuccino with drizzled caramel and chocolate and no cinnamon roll unless you get your booty out of bed and get ready." Haley stood there until Brooke got out of bed and she could hear the shower running.

Haley walked back to her house and hopped into her deep blue Cobra Mustang before speeding off to the Starbucks down the road. There was only a couple of people in front of her waiting to order, but since they each order at least eight drinks each it took a while for Haley to get out of there. Nearly twenty minutes later she had her and Brooke's drinks and Brooke's cinnamon roll and was driving back to Brooke's house. When she walked into Brooke's bedroom a much cheerier Brooke, who was dressed and finishing up her hair and make-up, greeted her.

"Oh, you are so my favorite person right now. Hand the coffee and cinnamon roll over please. So what did you want to do today? Beach?"

"No, we did that yesterday, and the two days before that."

"Oh, shopping!"

"Okay. Where do you want to go?"

"We can go to that new mall in the next town. It's supposed to be pretty good, at least better than our mall here."

"Anything is better than Tree Hill Mall."

"True, but this one is almost as close. It's only going to take like ten or fifteen minutes more to get there. Let me just finish getting ready and then we can go." Brooke finished her breakfast Haley brought her before Haley drove them down to the new mall. They went to nearly every store in the mall and left with a handful of bags each. When Haley walked into her house she was greeted with an all too familiar and undesirable sight, her mother.

"Haley sweetie. I'm so glad that you're home now, perfect timing. We are having a very important dinner with the Scotts tonight so you'll need to start getting ready. "

"Mom, I told you before, I'm going to Brooke's tonight. We had planned this a while ago, you knew I already had plans."

"Oh, that's not nearly as important as this dinner tonight. Anyways, I already picked up a dress for you, it's hanging up in your closet. The car will be here to pick us up sharply at six-thirty, so make sure you will be ready by then, we don't need to show up late now do we?" Lydia turned around and walked back towards the kitchen area where she came from.

"Nope, don't want to be late mother. Heaven forbid if we were to break some sort of etiquette rule, the world would stop spinning and we will fall into oblivion." Haley muttered before she started to walk towards the stairs.

"What were you saying dear?"

"Nothing mom. Just uh…trying to decide how I want to do my hair for tonight."

"Well whatever you decide, make sure you look nice for tonight. We don't want you looking like some sort of ragamuffin. Tonight is very important, you must look your best."

"Thanks mom." Haley finally made it to the stairs and started up toward her room. "Thanks for everything."

Haley looked in her closet and found the dress bag that contained the dress her mom had bought for her tonight. She unzipped it to reveal a long emerald dress with gathering at the end of the V-neck. It was gorgeous—that much Haley would admit. After washing her face and redoing her make-up for the evening, Haley curled her hair and pulled half of it back with a silver barrette. She put on some silver chandelier earrings before putting on the dress with a pair of silver heels. With still a half hour to spare before the car would arrive, Haley went to one of the favorite rooms in the house, the library.

To Haley, the library had always been a sort of magical time machine. Since she was a little girl she loved to read, being transported to different eras and different lands. To her, books always held some sort of hope that things will work out. That everyone has some sort of happily ever after; you just have to get through the whole evil stepmother and ugly stepsisters part of life. Haley looked along the shelves for her next book to read, but before she had a chance to pick it out she heard her mother's voice calling her to come downstairs. The car would be there any minute and she didn't want to be late.

When they arrived at the restaurant, they were lead to a table where the Scotts were already seated. The Scotts stood up upon seeing the James arrive, and after the fake pleasantries, everyone sat down. Jimmy took the seat next to Dan while Lydia took the seat next to Jimmy, leaving Haley the only seat that was left…the seat between her mother and Nathan.

After the small talk and salad, the conversation took a very interesting and surprising twist. Turns out, Dan was diagnosed with Hypertrophy Cardiomyopathy, also known as HCM. While he is on treatment right now, there is still a chance that something severe could happen. If that's the case, then they wanted to make sure that the future of Detour is secure. Nathan will inherit Dan's shares of the company, leaving Nathan and Jimmy to be the leaders of the company. This, however, could create some problems. One being how this inherited power will be observed by the clients and competitors of Detour. Another more internal, the concern that company will be pulled in different directions due to a conflict of interest—Jimmy and Nathan's. Both of these could be taken care of through one simple action.

Turns out a few months ago an illegal deal went south. Detour had been selling weapons to an over-seas group, but when there was a misunderstanding between the two sides over the transaction, all hell broke loose. There were many threats on Dan Scott's life, and some of those threats were nearly carried out. A poisoned bottle of Scotch was sent to Dan, and after he had ingested some of it, his office was set ablaze. Jimmy happened to stop by the office to grab some documents when he saw the flames. He broke down the door to Dan's office and pulled him out of the blaze before calling the fire department. Thus, leaving Dan in debt to Jimmy. And now that debt would be repaid.

"You see, Jimmy and I have decided how to fix any possible problems when Nathan takes over. It seems in everyone's best interest to keep this company in the family. So, next fall, Nathan and Haley will be married."

"What!"

"Haley, keep your voice down. That is very inappropriate."

"Oh, and marring your daughter off isn't inappropriate. That might have been how they did things in like the nineteenth century, but hello, welcome to the twenty-first century."

"Haley! Stop being so disrespectful."

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Haley rolled her eyes at this fake manner, "but I'm going to have to agree with Haley. I don't understand how you can force us to get married."

"Well see son, we aren't forcing you, it's more of a suggestion. if you don't take this suggestion, however, then there are consequences. You will be cut off, both of you. No money, no stock in the company, no inheritance, nothing. So basically, you can stay in this lifestyle you are accustomed to, or not. The choice is yours, but I'm sure you'll make the right choice."

"You can't do that. This is ridiculous. I'm barely twenty-two, not even close to being ready for marriage."

"Well you were ready to take the company over, so you are certainly ready to be married. But like I told you before, this is your choice, so choose wisely."

"Daddy, please tell me you aren't serious. You wouldn't honestly do this to me. What about college? I'm supposed to start in a few months. I can't be married."

"It's in your best interest sweetheart. You can still go to college. You were accepted to Duke, that's just a twenty-minute drive from here. You can still go to college, and when you are out there will be a job waiting for you at Detour."

"But what if I don't want a job at Detour. This isn't fair."

"Haley, please. This is not how a lady should act at dinner." Haley slumped down in her chair determined to hash this out with her parents when they got home. "Sit up dear. A slouching lady is not very becoming." Haley sat up and glared across the room. While waiting for the check to come, Haley decided that it was time to excuse herself before her pent up anger blew up.

"Um, I'm not feeling to well right now, so if you'll excuse me, I'm just going to have the car take me back home so that I can lay down while you finish your meal. Thank you for dinner Mr. Scott."

She shut her bedroom door before she fell against it and pulled her knees into her chest. Her body racked with sobs. This wasn't fair. She wasn't some naïve little girl who thought that everything in life was right. She understood that life wasn't fair, but she always thought that everything happened for a reason. But where is her reason? She put up with playing the part of the perfect daughter because she knew once she was eighteen she could break away from it. Now she was just dragged farther into the façade that she wanted so badly to escape.

There was no way that she would be able to be independent of her parents right now. She had no problem getting a job and supporting herself while going to college, but there was no way that it could happen. She would be starting out from scratch, and there was no way that in the three months before college started that she would be able to get enough money for a place to stay, food, and all the other expenses that she wouldn't be able to escape. She had gotten scholarships, but none of them covered rooming and food. The only real friend that she had was Brooke, and although Haley was sure that she would offer to help her with the expenses, there was no way she could ask her. Haley had a stubborn streak in her the size of Texas, and there was no way she was going to start asking for charity. So, she only had one choice left, to become Mrs. Nathan Scott.

Oh, if only everything did happen for a reason.

_Thank you so much for reading! I would love to know what you thought of it!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Wake-up**

**Chapter 3**

_What if you didn't know where the bad side of town was_

_Where would you wander to_

_So many places from which to choose_

_Would you let yourself be_

After both agreed to the marriage, Lydia and Deb insisted on having a wedding planner to help with all of the details. Haley had first declined, saying that if they were going to go through with this than she wanted to just have an extremely small ceremony, or even elope. They could inform the press that they had fallen so deeply in love that they couldn't wait any longer to get married. Haley had come to terms that life wasn't fair, but did they need to rub salt into the wound by making Haley share that horrible day with so many people. Lydia and Deb would not relent with letting go of a big wedding, so Haley agreed on the terms that the ceremony would be short and simple. There was no need for long and sentimental vows when Haley and Nathan were both just doing this for the fear of what their future would hold without the financial backing of their families.

After nearly two months of the three women working with the wedding planner, everything was set. Everything from the tuxes to the place settings had been chosen, and in just one week it would all be done. Haley had chosen Brooke to be her maid of honor while Nathan chose Lucas to be his best man. So, as maid of honor, Brooke had planned out her Bachelorette party, or as Brooke liked to call it, the Last Fling before the Ring.

It was the night before the rehearsal dinner and Haley and Nathan were getting ready for their Bachelor and Bachelorette parties. Just a week ago they had moved into their new house together. It was in the same neighborhood as their parents lived, but a few streets over. There hadn't been any squabbles so far, but they had both been not said more than two words to each other and they both kept as far away from each other as possible. Haley walked out of the bathroom after she finished putting on her lip-gloss to find Nathan putting on his shoes in their bedroom.

"You're not seriously wearing that out tonight." Nathan said looking up.

"Yeah." Haley said looking at him like he was crazy.

"That skirt nearly shows off your ass Haley."

"Yeah, and I'm sure that the strippers you are going to see tonight are going to be wearing so much more. It's not even that short, trust me I could go shorter. In fact, why don't I?"

"Haley."

"Joking. And speaking of tonight, try to keep your activities behind closed doors. I don't really feel like seeing you and some blonde bimbo slut on the cover of tabloid magazines tomorrow."

"Same goes for you Princess."

"No, see the press thinks I'm little Miss Perfect, while you are the playboy. They're not going to be looking for dirt on me. Anyway, it's not like I'd do that anyways, I don't like blonde bimbos too much."

"Whatever. I have to go meet Lucas." Before he had a chance to leave the bedroom Nathan and Haley heard the front door open.

"Hales, you ready yet. We have boys to see and alcohol to drink." Brooke walked up the stairs and right into Nathan and Haley's bedroom.

"Thanks for knocking Brooke. For all you know we could have been having sex."

"Yeah, I'm so sure that Haley would be having sex with you right now. Y'all might have come to an understanding these past few months to not gouge each others eyes out, but you two having sex is about as believable as the devil ice-skating."

"Whatever Brooke. I gotta go meet Lucas anyways."

"Oh, the broody but hot cousin. Tell him I said hi." Nathan turned around and walked out of the room leaving Brooke and Haley alone.

"So, you ready for tonight?"

"Am I ready to go and get drunk off my ass? Hell yeah! So what exactly did you plan for tonight?"

"You'll just have to wait and see. Anyways, our transportation should be here any moment now, so let's go." Brooke pulled Haley down the stairs and opened the front door to reveal a party bus pulling up the drive.

"Brooke, what exactly did you plan for tonight?"

"I told you, it's a surprise. Come on, everyone else is already inside and we can't be late."

"Late for what?"

"Still not telling. Come on." Brooke pulled Haley into the bus and they were soon off to their destination.

"Brooke I can not believe you rented a private jet to fly us all to Las Vegas. This is…I don't know, it's unbelievable."

"Well, I figured that since you have to marry the Spawn of Satan you are going to have one hell of a Last Fling before the Ring, especially considering the fact that you had to miss my kick-off summer party."

"Brooke, be quiet. No one beside our parents and you and Lucas know the truth about the wedding, and I would like to keep it that way."

"Hales, trust me. They all had enough champagne so far tonight; I doubt they even remember their names right now. Trust me, your secret is safe." After landing in Las Vegas another party bus picked up the girls and took them over to the Excalibur for a private show of Australia's Thunder from Down Under followed by their own private little shopping spree in Victoria's Secret in the Forum Shops at Caesars. What more could a girl ask for in a Bachelorette party. The extremely group of wasted girls headed back home to Tree Hill, arriving at almost seven in the morning Tree Hill time.

Haley walked into her house, and not seeing Nathan anywhere downstairs she headed up to their bedroom. She let out a chuckle as she set down all the bags of stuff the girls had gotten from Victoria's Secret for her. It's not like they'd be getting any use. After grabbing some much needed Advil and water, she laid down. She would need her rest for all of the acting that would have to be done for the rehearsal dinner tonight and the wedding tomorrow.

_Thanks to CCSott23 for the reply and a huge thanks again to Michelle for being my beta for this story!_

_Hope you all liked the chapter! I would love to hear what you thought of it!_


	4. Chapter 4

_I wanted to give a huge thanks Michelle for being my Beta for this story!__  
_

**Wake-up**

**Chapter 4**

_Don't cause a scene_

_Mind your manners_

_Speak only if spoken to_

_You know what you are not to do_

_Watch and learn_

Haley James was used to the façade of being Miss Perfect, but this show of being in love with Nathan Scott was becoming a greater burden than she had planned.

Haley's hair had been styled in a beautiful and elegant up-do and her make-up had been painted on perfectly. She was the image of perfection. She stared at her dress, which was hung up on the hook on the wall, not being able to put it on. She didn't want this wedding, she never had. It was as if putting the dress on was putting the last nail in the coffin. She would become like one of those girls she had always promised herself she wouldn't become. One of those girls who let her parents dictate her entire future. One of those girls whose parents arrange a marriage for their own selfish reasons. One of those girls who doesn't follow her heart and dreams, who doesn't get her happily ever after. The thought chilled her to the core. This was her end.

Her fingers skimmed the red satin fabric running across the top off the dress before taking it off the hanger and slipping it on. It fit her body like a glove. The strapless gown elegantly revealed her neck, which was encircled with the diamond necklace her parents had given to her last night at the rehearsal dinner along with a pair of matching diamond earrings. Just as she reached for her shoes there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

"Oh Hales, you look so beautiful. So you may be marring the Spawn of Satan, but at least you look damn hot doing it."

"Thanks Brooke. You look great too." Brooke had on a strapless gown similar to Haley's, but it was completely red. "It really means a lot to me how great you've been these last few months."

"Of course I would be there for you, and if you want to show your thanks you could hook me up with your soon to be cousin-in-law. It totally sucks that your parents have basically forced you two to do this, but at least we'll still go to school together. Sucks that we won't be able to get that apartment together either, but you can come visit mine anytime you want, unless of course I'm with some totally hot guy."

As the quartet began to play the wedding march Jimmy began walking Haley down the aisle. Nathan watched and was taken away with Haley's beauty as she came towards him.

"Love is patient, Love is kind.

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered,

It keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves."

A single tear slid down Haley's cheek as the ceremony started. For as long as Haley could remember she had dreamed of having a simple ceremony on the beach with only her closest family and friends. She would be in a simple white dress and he would be in a tux—just simple and filled with love. But this, this was just the opposite. This was an arranged marriage, even if their parents acted as though they had a choice in it. The ceremony was being held next to the large pond at The Gardens. The sunlight sparkled off the lake, illuminating the roses that were growing up the gazebo Nathan and Haley stood under.

"Do you, Nathan Lee Scott, take Haley Rebecca James, to be your lawfully wedded wife…?" The crowd watched on at the exchange of vows, all admiring what they thought was young love, each hoping to one day be so lucky.

"I do."

"And do you, Haley Rebecca James, take Nathan Lee Scott as your lawfully wedded husband to have and to hold, for better or worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"

As much as Haley wanted to scream at the top of her lungs "I don't!" she simply smiled and softly said, "I do." One more tear slid down Haley's cheek, but before she could fall too deeply into her thoughts she felt Nathan slide the ring onto her finger.

"With this ring I thee wed. Haley, please wear it as a sign of the depth of our love."

Haley grabbed Nathan's hand, and with a shaky hand, she slid his ring on.

"With this ring I thee wed. Nathan, please wear it as a sign of our lifelong commitment." Haley felt as if she could feel the bile rise up in her throat at the exchange of lies.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." Nathan and Haley turned to one another before Nathan reached up and cupped Haley's cheek, guiding their lips together. There was no awkwardness, no clumsiness, and no inelegance, despite the fact that this was the first kiss the couple would share. It was a graceful dance of the lips. They separated and shared a look filled with wonder.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Scott." Haley linked her arm through Nathan's and the newlywed couple walked down the aisle.

"_Every time our eyes meet_

_This feeling inside me_

_Is almost more than I can take._

_Baby when you touch me_

_I can feel how much you love me_

_And it just blows me away._

_I've never been this close to anyone or anything_

_I can hear your thoughts_

_I can see your dreams."_

Haley and Nathan glided along the dance floor beneath the thin tents surrounding the reception as the crowd watched from their tables. Everyone's focus was on the dance floor, watching the young couple share their first dance as a married couple.

"_I don't know how you do what you do_

_I'm so in love with you_

_It just keeps getting better._

_I wanna spend the rest of my life_

_With you by my side_

_Forever and ever._

_Every little thing that you do_

_Baby I'm amazed by you."_

Their sweeping turns and dips were performed with ease thanks to the previous dance rehearsals that were set up by the wedding planner. They were executing the dance with the same perfection that was seen throughout the rest of the ceremony and reception.

"_The smell of your skin_

_The taste of your kiss_

_The way you whisper in the dark._

_Your hair all around me_

_Baby you surround me_

_You touch every place in my heart._

_Oh it feels like the first time every time_

_I wanna spend the night in your eyes."_

Haley looked over Nathan's shoulder and saw her Grandpa Whitey, who had a huge smile on his face. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen him this happy, at least not since his wife passed away. Haley had always had a connection with him, telling him about the newest book she read while he told her about stories from when he fought in World War II. She was always amazed that someone that special could be partially responsible for the creature she called a mother.

"_I don't know how you do what you do_

_I'm so in love with you_

_It just keeps getting better._

_I wanna spend the rest of my life_

_With you by my side_

_Forever and ever._

_Every little thing that you do_

_Baby I'm amazed by you."_

Whitey caught her gaze and winked at her, causing Haley's smile to become genuine for a moment. Whitey was unaware of the circumstances behind the marriage. He honestly believed that they were in young, and the fact that he couldn't tell she wasn't created another crack in her heart.

"_Every little thing that you do_

_I'm so in love with you_

_It just keeps getting better_

_I wanna spend the rest of my life_

_With you by my side_

_Forever and ever_

_Every little thing that you do_

_Oh, every little thing that you do_

_Baby I'm amazed by you."_

The crowd applauded the newlyweds as the next song began playing and the guests were invited to join the Bride and Groom on the dance floor.

The reception continued as day turned into night and the stars became visibly through the thin fabric of the tents. The elegantly decorated cake was cut and Nathan and Haley carefully fed one another a small piece. The bouquet was tossed soon followed by the garter before the magnificent dinner was served to the numerous guests. Sporadically throughout the meal the guests would tap their knives on their champagne flutes and Nathan and Haley would share a brief kiss, resulting in awe throughout the crowd. Nathan and Haley shared their last dance before they left in the black stretch limo, complete with "Just Married" written in white on the back window.

_Thank you so much for reading, and as always I would love to know what you thought about it!__  
__Credit for their wedding song goes to Lonestar with "Amazed". I love that song and wanted to cry when they played in concert a year ago. So good!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Thank you to deli41321 and lilmonkeygirl31 for you reviews, I really appreciated them! Here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it!_

**Wake-up**

**Chapter 5**

_What if you never where short for time_

_All meetings cancelled clocks stopped at nine_

_Without alarms the silence beams_

_Invited to be_

It had been nearly three weeks since the wedding, and Haley and Nathan had successfully kept up the façade of the happy couple in front of the public eye. Behind closed doors, however, things were a different story. For the past week Haley had begun her classes at Duke while Nathan began working at Detour. Haley had been spending most of her time alone in the house doing schoolwork while Nathan spent late hours at the office followed by late nights at the bar or club with friends. Haley fell into the pattern of studying or reading in bed into the late hours of the night waiting for Nathan to come home. She made a promise to herself that once it hit midnight, she would not stay up for the sake of him. But even when surrounded in the pitch-black darkness, she didn't fall asleep until he was lying on the opposite side of the bed. When he did, he reeked of stale cigarettes, cheap perfume, and alcohol. And every night when she heard his breathing even out, one single tear rolled down her face knowing that this is was what the rest of her life would hold.

Haley never really knew what he did while he was away from the house, and she wasn't really sure if she ever wanted to. She had already told him that he was free to screw whoever he wanted, but he would do so off of their property. Some part of her always believed that if she wasn't witnessing it, then he wasn't doing it.

Brooke continued to invite Haley to several Duke parties, despite the fact that Haley was constantly turning down the offers. After the wedding Haley began to drift away from everyone and find her own comfort in the library of her new home. She didn't have to pretend in front of her books. Instead they took her away from her problems and gave her that small ounce of hope she so desperately craved. When Brooke suggested just a girls night in at her apartment Haley finally caved. She needed to get out of the house and this was the perfect chance. Friday after her last class she would head over to Brooke's and stay there Friday and Saturday night. They had already rented all of their favorite movies and bought a shopping cart full of junk food. Everything was planned, if only plans never went awry. Halfway through Princess Bride, Brooke's DVD player broke.

"What! That's crap. I want to see the rest of it. I need to see the rest of it! Come on Hales, we're going to the store."

"Brooke it's midnight. There is no store open right now that you can buy a DVD from…Come on, we'll go grab one from my house so we can finish the movie."

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you. I love the wedding ceremony between Buttercup and Prince Humperdinck. That part I so funny. 'Marwage. Marwage is wot bwings us togeder tooday. Mawage, that blessed awangment, that dweam wifin a dweam…and wuv, tu wuv, will fowow you foweva…so tweasure your wuv.'"

"You are such a dork. Come on, let's go." Haley drove Brooke over to the house so they could grab one of the DVD players and head back to her apartment. When she pulled into the garage she noticed Nathan's truck was parked in the garage. "Wow, I think this is like a record for him. He is never home before midnight." Brooke followed into the house and into the living room. She went to unhook the DVD player, but stopped part way through. "Let me run upstairs real quick. The one in our room is smaller. I'll be right back."

"Okay, I'll just go wait for you in the car then." Haley climbed the stairs to their room. Hearing the TV on she opened the door to their bedroom. But what she thought was the TV was something else entirely. Nathan was on top of some red headed bitch, screwing her like there was no tomorrow. They hadn't even noticed her presence, or if they did they didn't see a need to stop.

Haley couldn't breath; it was as if she had just been punched in the chest. She quietly shut the door, just wanting to get out of there as fast as she could. Just as she was about to open the door to the garage she realized that she still didn't have a DVD player. She ran back into the living room and finished unhooking the one in there. She picked up the cords she needed and hurried back to the car, wearing her usual mask of happiness.

"Hey, I though you were getting a different one."

"Yeah…um, I didn't know how to unhook that one so I just went back and grabbed this one."

"Oh, okay. You ready?"

"Yup. Let's go."

"Do you feel okay? You look a little pale or something."

"I'm fine. Just tired."

"Oh, I'm sorry. If I had known I would have just waited until tomorrow and gone and bought one."

"No, it's fine. I think I just finally came off my sugar rush from earlier. Come one, let's go finish that movie."

After setting the other DVD player up they popped The Princess Bride in again and finished watching the rest of the movie. Brooke turned off the TV and turned towards Haley to find tears streaming down her face.

"Hales, what's wrong?"

"Why don't I get my Westley? Hell, I don't even get my Prince Humperdinck. All I get it the freaking' evil spawn who screws that bitch Rachel in our bed, in _my_ bed, after I told him not on our property."

"What! When!"

"Tonight. I caught them when I went to grab the DVD player. God, they didn't even notice me. They just kept going at it like rabbits."

"Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry."

"Thanks, but it's not your fault. I don't even know why I'm crying, it's not like I loved him. Hell, I even told him he could go screw whoever he wants as long as it's not on our property. That way I wouldn't catch him—guess I was wrong. I mean, what is wrong with me? I hate him but here I am acting like an blubbering idiot."

"You're not an idiot Hales. It hurts like hell when you catch someone cheating, whether you're in love with him or it's just an arranged marriage. Either way, it brings up every insecurity you have and intensifies them. Nothing is wrong with you, you're just human."

"Thanks Brookie."

"No problem. And you know what helps you get over that crappy feeling you're feeling right now, a good party. Hey, what do ya know, I know of one next Friday. Phi Beta Kappa is having a Get Lei'd party. You gotta come Hales, you deserve a little fun."

"You know what, you're right, I do. Count me in. I could use a night of getting so wasted I won't remember what I did the morning after."

"Good to hear. So what's next, Dumb and Dumber sound good?"

"Sounds perfect. I need a little funny right now."

Haley didn't leave Brooke's until late Sunday night. She made one stop on the way home, to buy a new set of sheets for the bed. She wrestled the whole weekend with the idea of just going and sleeping in one of the guest rooms, but if se did she risked the chance of having to tell Nathan why. So afraid of looking like a psycho, over-protective girlfriend who was cheated on, she would just put on new sheets, burn the old ones, and later in the week buy a new mattress. Problem solved.

By Friday, not only was there a new mattress and sheets, both of which he didn't notice, but a new Haley as well. Dressed in her bikini, she put on a coconut bra and a short grass skirt on to completed her Hawaiian-styled outfit. She was in need of a good time, and hopefully tonight she would get it.

Brooke picked Haley up and they drove over to the Frat house, but were forced to park almost a block away. The house was packed, the walls were pounding, and the alcohol was flowing. Brooke took Haley upstairs to where they had one of the bars set up. After a couple of rounds of Tequila shots they were ready to dance. On the way back down the stairs Haley accidentally smacked right into someone. When she stepped back to apologize she looked up and saw a very familiar pair of eyes.

"Jake Jagelski. How are you I haven't seen you since graduation. How was Europe?"

"It was amazing. So from what I hear I missed a lot while I was gone, you know, like my best friend getting married."

"Yeah, I know. I would have invited you but I never knew where you were since you were backpacking though amazing countries. I've missed you Jake."

"Yeah, well I'm not in Europe anymore, so what do you say we say we go grab lunch or coffee this weekend to catch up. I tried calling your cell phone a couple of times since I got back but it never went through."

"Oh, I lost that phone so I had to get a new one, so I switched companies, so they made me switch my number. But yeah, we definitely have to get together again."

"Good. I gotta head up to the bar to meet some guys, but I'll see you around." Jake leaned down and gave Haley a hug before they went their separate ways. Haley joined Brooke on the crowded dance floor and began dancing to the music the DJ was playing. After more dances, and many more drinks, Haley was completely wasted when they found Jake again.

"Jakey!"

"Hales, you having fun."

"I'm having a blast."

"I bet you are, how much did you drink Hales."

Haley tried to put her finger to her chin as she was thinking but she totally missed and stumbled forward. "Whoa, the room just totally moved backwards. That was so freaky, but totally fun. Make it do it again Jakey."

"Yeah, I think it's time you stopped drinking Hales."

"But Jakey, this is my fun. I deserve a little fun, Lord knows Nathan has his."

"Come on, let's go find Brooke so that we can get you home."

"Can't. Brooke's in one of the rooms, and I can't leave without her cause she is the one that drove us here."

"That's okay, I drove here too and I haven't had anything to drink so I'll take you home. Where exactly is your home now?"

"Next to where the Johnson's used to live. The white house on the right of them." Jake led Haley out to his car and helped her get in.

"Wow. You're living good Hales."

"Yeah, real good. You're a good guy Jake, why'd we never end up together?"

"Cause we decided we were better as friends. Don't you remember that party junior year when we both had way too much to drink and slept together. Things got really awkward so we decided that we work as friends, and nothing more."

"Yeah, I didn't forget that night. But you would be a whole lot better than Nathan. I mean, I think a pig would be better than Nathan."

"Are you and Nathan having problems?"

"There would have to be a me and Nathan for us to even have problems." Haley saw the confused look on Jake's face so she explained it to him. "Nathan's dad has some heart condition, so for the sake of keeping the company secure for the Scotts as well as the James, our parents' basically forced us to get married. I figured it would suck, I just didn't think it would suck quite so badly."

"I'm sorry Hales. You deserve better. Is there anything I can do…Hales…Haley?" Jake looked over to find a sleeping Haley. "Guess it's a good thing that I asked you where you lived before we left. Way to go Jake, now you're talking to yourself. And you're still talking to yourself. Okay, stopping now." Jake pulled into Haley's driveway and picked Haley up out of the car. He carried her to the front door and rang the doorbell hoping someone would be home. When no one answered he rang the doorbell again. Finally Nathan answered the door in a pair of plaid pajama pants with his boxers peeking out of the top.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. She passed out in the car and I didn't want to snoop around in her purse to find her keys, she got so pissed the last time I did that." Nathan just glared at Jake as he stood on the porch. "Um, do you want to take her or tell me where to put her down, or something?"

"I'll take her." Only as Nathan reached out to grab his wife did he notice what she was wearing. "What the hell is she wearing?"

"It was a themed Frat party, Get Lei'd." Nathan continued to scowl at Jake; he never was one for pleasantries. "Right, anyways I'm gonna leave. She'll need some aspirin and water in the morning, she hit it pretty hard tonight." Nathan stepped back and shut the door in Jake's face before carrying Haley upstairs to her bedroom. He laid her on the bed before taking off her coconut bra and grass skirt and putting on a pair of her pajama pants and tank tops. He was about to take off her bikini too but was afraid she would smack the crap out him the next morning. She was definitely feisty. He pulled the covers up over her before turning off the lights and climbing into bed next to her.

It felt like a whole heard of elephants ran over her head when Haley woke up, but was happy to see a glass of water and a couple of aspirin on the bedside table. She fell asleep after taking them but was awoken by her cell phone going off. She searched through her purse that was next to the bed trying to find it.

"Please don't hang up, don't hang up, don't hang up. I'm coming. Aha. Hello?"

"Hey. How you feeling?"

"Like crap. Thanks for taking me home last night even though I don't really remember it."

"Well, we talked about getting lunch, so I thought I would see what you were doing today?"

"I'm having lunch with you. Just give me like an hour to take a shower and get ready."

"No problem. Do you want to just meet met me? How does Chinese sound? P.F. Chang's?"

"Sounds like heaven. I'll meet you there an hour." Haley took a shower and got ready for her lunch with Jake. She walked down the stairs to find Nathan sitting on the couch in the living room with his laptop and papers all over the coffee table. "Bye."

"Bye? Where are you going?"

"Lunch."

"With who? That guy that brought you home last night? Are you going to go sleep with him again?"

"What Jake and I do is none of your business."

"Yes it is, you're my wife, and I'd like to know who you're going around and screwing. So, how is he, any good? Bet I'm better, care to find out?"

"It's none of your business, so don't ask me about Jake. And do you think that I would willingly touch you after you've been with Rachel and who knows how many other whores."

"How do you know about her? Please don't tell me you're so pathetic that you stalk me just to see the women you'll never live up to." Haley's hand smacked Nathan's face leaving a red handprint.

"You self-centered ass. I caught you two, in _our_ bed. All I asked Nathan, not in public, not on our property. Are you really that stupid that that simple request didn't get through your thick skull and into your pee-sized brain? That's all I've ever asked you for, and you still couldn't do that. I always thought you were a jerk, but I never thought you were this big of an ass. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to be late for lunch."

"Pot calling the kettle black, Haley. Don't try to make me the bad guy when you're about to go off and screw some random guy."

"Not random, I've known Jake for a long time. And I'm not mad at you for screwing Rachel—I don't care about that. What I do care about is you doing the one thing, _the one thing_, I asked you not to do. How hard is it to go to her place, or a hotel, or a car, hell, do it in the bathroom at the club for all I care, just not here." Haley walked towards the garage, and just before she walked in she yelled back at him, "And just a little FYI, I didn't sleep with Jake last night and we are just going to lunch. Sorry not everyone is a man whore like you, you self-centered, egotistical, ass-fu--". Her slamming the door that lead to the garage shut muffled the rest of the names Haley enjoyed yelling at Nathan.

_Thank you so much for reading and I would love to know what you thought of it!_

_Leigh_


	6. Chapter 6

_Thanks you so much to deli41321 RhsGuard06 for your reviews! Here's the next chapter, and only one left after this. I hope you enjoy it!_

**Wake-up**

**Chapter 6**

_What if you never heard a word they say_

_And up were down and night were day_

_I bet you'd have a lot more time to play_

_If you'd let yourself go_

Two months of marriage, and things weren't much better than they were in the beginning. Nathan continued spending his time at the office and a bar or club, while Haley spent her time at school, in classes or at parties, but on the cold November night, things changed a bit. There was a massive rainstorm, which closed down all the roads, forcing Nathan and Haley to both stay home that Saturday night. Just as Haley was about to make something to eat the house was surrounded in darkness.

"Haley?"

"In the kitchen." Nathan walked into the kitchen a second later with a flashlight.

"Hey. Do you know where the candles are so we can get some light in here?"

"Yeah, they're in the closet upstairs next to the bedroom. I'll go with you to grab them."

"No, that's okay, I can get them."

"No, I'll help." Haley could have cared less about helping Nathan get candles. She sort of hoped he would trip on the stairs and break his neck. Horrible? Yes, but still the truth. Actually, feisty little Miss Independent hated being alone in a blackout; they've spooked her since she was a little girl. They placed candles all around the kitchen so it was veiled in a delicate glow. They sat at the island on the barstools in an awkward silence.

"Want something to drink?"

"Sure. I think there's a bottle of wine in the fridge." Nathan grabbed the wine and poured a glass for Haley before grabbing a glass and some Jack Daniel's for him. In an attempt to ease the tension they drank their first round pretty quickly. Same with the one after that, and the one after that…

"Okay, my turn. I've never used drugs." Nathan took a sip.

"Sophomore year I took some performance enhancers because I was trying to beat my dad's record. Ok, I've never have gotten a tattoo." Haley took a sip of her wine. "Where?" Haley pulled down the corner or her pants to show a small black Chinese character. "What's it mean?"

"Hope." Nathan reached out and lightly traced it with his fingertip causing Haley shivered at the sensation. "I've never had sex with more than one person at a time." Nathan didn't drink causing Haley to raise an eyebrow.

"The Johnson triplets? Nah, just a rumor, but I would not mind if it were true. I've never been arrested." They were both far beyond a good buzz and in the territory of I have no control over the words that are spilling from my mouth like I should and normally do.

"I've never slept with a teacher." The exchange on "I've Never's" increased, shooting one off right after another.

"I've never had sex in the office."

"I've never been in love."

"I've never 'made love'."

"I've never made love in the rain."

"I've never made love with my wife."

"Guess we might have to do something about that." Their lips crashed together in a kiss filled with passion and lust. Somewhere along the way getting when they were getting drunk they let down a small part of their shields, giving the other a glimpse at their Achilles' heel. The vulnerable side of them that they kept hidden from the public, their family, and their friends, the part of them that is not only their most prized possession, but also their most fragile—their hearts.

Nathan stood up and gripped Haley's hips, hoisting her up as she wrapped he legs around him. Haley raked her hands over his chest before pulling back gasping for air, before she moved down to nip at his neck before soothing it with her tongue. Nathan groaned as she used her legs as leverage to ground into him, adding more heat to the fire that had already ignited between the two. Haley's hangs began to wander up his shirt, but she stopped as she felt Nathan walking.

"Where are you going?"

"Taking care of another one of your 'I've Never's'." He opened up one of the French doors and carried them out onto one of the chaise lounges on the Veranda. Haley smiled up at him as the raindrops fell upon them and she realized what he meant. They hungrily tore away at one another's soaked clothes, the sounds of them slapping the pavement barely audible over the sounds of the beads of rain hitting the ground. Their moans and screams of rapture where concealed with the load clapping of the thunder until they both reached ecstasy, coming back down together in a slow and sensual kiss.

Haley awoke tangled in wet sheets. Haley moved her arm down to fix the sheets so she could go back to bed till her headache went away, but in the process she felt the fact that she was in fact naked. The thought of last night came rushing back to her. Nathan. Her. The rain. And the countless waves of ecstasy they rode. She pulled the sheet up to cover herself before she looked over her shoulder to see Nathan still sleeping. She debated on falling back asleep and just getting up after Nathan, or getting up and getting dressed now. She picked the latter, still unsure of what really happened last night. Unsure of how she really felt about him. She grabbed a clean pair of jeans and tank top before heading downstairs to grab something for breakfast.

In the middle of eating her Cap'N Crunch Nathan came walking down the stairs and grabbed a cup of coffee sitting next to her at the island.

"Morning."

"Morning." An awkward silence enveloped the two as they sat there.

"So, are we going to keep ignoring the elephant in the room, or are we going to talk about it?" Nathan looked over at Haley waiting for her to answer him.

Haley was too confused; she wasn't sure how to answer. Ever since the beginning of the summer after their parent's had announced their engagement, they had to act like a young couple in love. She wasn't sure where the acting ended and the true feelings started, at least for her. Now her heart raced whenever she was around him and her palms got sweaty and she felt tongue-tied. It took everything in her to act normal and suppress these feelings. It took everything in her to not cry all night when she knew that he was with other women, feeling like she wasn't good enough to be with him. It took everything in her to act that catching him with Rachel wasn't like pouring salt on a fresh wound. She didn't understand why she felt this way, she never did. Maybe it was that common ground they had of growing up under the watchful eye of Tree Hill, having to act as if they live the perfect life. Guess that's the strange thing about love, you can never fully explain.

"What do you what do you want me to say about it? We got drunk and the game we were playing just…got out of hand." She still couldn't tell him how she felt; she could barely admit it to herself. Both their armor's were back on, concealing their hearts to each other and the rest of the world.

"Yeah. I just wanted to make sure that there wasn't anything weird between us now."

"No, of course not. Why would there be?"

"There wouldn't."

They never did seem to get rid of that elephant in the room that followed him wherever they went, but they got amazingly well at ignoring it. They each kept to themselves and their own schedules in the attempt to eliminate their feelings for one another. They were successful in hiding their feelings from each other, but their armor was slowly crumbling as time went on.

Sitting by the pool watching the clouds roll in, Haley highlighted the chapter she had to read before the next class. She picked up the cordless phone beside her after it rang for the third time.

"Hello."

"Haley, you should come down to the hospital. It's Whitey." As her father's words echoed through her head she felt like her heart stopped.

"What? Dad, what's wrong?"

"Just come down here Haley. I'm sure he would like to see you." Haley's response was caught in her throat, so she just pushed the end button and let the phone slip through her hand, breaking as it hit the pavement. She ran inside, throwing the things she had brought out back with her on the kitchen table. She ran into the bedroom, grabbing her shoes and purse, when Nathan stopped her.

"Where are you going?"

"Hospital…um, Whitey…I have to go."

"Wait, you shouldn't drive like that, I'll take you." Haley just nodded her head and followed Nathan out to his truck. The ride was silent as Haley tried to figure out why her Grandfather would be in the hospital. She prayed that it was nothing serious, just some sort of precautionary thing, but she couldn't help but shake the feeling that things were about to get a whole lot worse.

"Room number…um, I need the room number for Whitey Durham."

"Room 208, take the elevator up to the second floor and go to your right." Haley mumbled some sort of acknowledgement as she started towards the elevator with Nathan right behind her. She hit the up button a couple of times, and when the elevator didn't come she started pounding the button.

"Come on, hurry up. Damn it, get down here."

Nathan grabbed her hand, pulling it away from the button. "Hey, relax. It will come down. Just breathe." He tried to rub her arms to relax her, but she stood stiff, waiting for the ding to signal the arrival of the elevator.

"Where is he?" Haley found her parents sitting in room 208 with an empty bed. She couldn't help but feel like she was already too late.

"They had to take him for some more tests."

"What kind of tests? What's wrong with him? Why is he here?" Jimmy stood up and walked over towards his daughter.

"Whitey had some trouble seeing last year, remember when he had to have that eye surgery?" Haley nodded, signaling Jimmy to continue, "Well they ran some tests then and they found a tumor. It was in the Occipital Lobe, which he why he was having the vision problems. By the time they found it the tumor was no longer benign, so treatments were fairly limited. They included brain surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. He felt that the side effects of the treatments were too abrasive, so he would let nature take its course."

"How long…_Answer me_, how much longer does he have?"

"The doctors gave us about three days."

"What…How…Why didn't he tell us?"

"There was no need to worry you darlin'." A nurse wheeled Whitey into the room and helped him up onto his bed.

"Yes there was Grandpa. We love you, we would have wanted to know."

"Sweetie, I'm old and my time has come. I'm not bitter, and you shouldn't be either. I've lived my life, and even though things weren't like I expected them to be, they turned out to be so much better." Haley nodded her head her head at him, willing the tears the tears that were threatening to fall to stay.

"I'm sorry, but Mr. Durham needs his rest now. You can all come back later." They all followed the nurse out of the room before they headed down to the cafeteria to wait until they could go up again.

Haley spent the next few days at the hospital, only leaving for an hour at the most to shower and change or grab something to eat. It was the morning of the second day that she was there and she was finishing reading the newspaper to him while he rested.

"So, tell me what's new in your life. How's school going?"

"It's good. I really like it."

"I knew you would. You've always had this unquenchable thirst for knowledge; it's who you are. So, how's marriage been? Everything you thought it would be?"

"Um…yeah, it has been." Haley didn't want to tell him the truth. He only had a little longer. He didn't need to know.

"You know I can tell when you're lying. I always have been. I've been waiting for you to tell me the truth, but I don't have much time left. You could at least grant a dying man's wish and tell it to me."

"Grandpa, I don't…I just can't. I want our last bit of time together happy instead of talking about that."

"I'm dying, there's not too much happy about that. Let me guess, your parents forced you two."

"Pretty much. If we didn't we would have been cut off.

"Let me guess, you two hate each other?"

"Pretty much. We just never really got along too well."

"I've never seen eye-to-eye with your mother on some issues, one of them being the way you were raised. I watched you play the part of the perfect daughter, but I have always been able to see past that. What's underneath is so beautiful; you need to let the world see it. And it's not just you Nathan does too. You have both grown up in a place where you have to play a part, but now you have to be yourselves."

"I wish we could, but it's too difficult to change ourselves now."

"Of course it won't be easy, the good things never are."

"Thank you for everything. I love you so much, I'm really going to miss you."

"Don't need to miss me yet, I'm not gone darlin'."

A few hours later Jimmy and Lydia came into the room, and not long after Nathan followed with lunch. The five ate as they exchanged small talk, acting as though they weren't in a hospital and someone was about to die. Whitey laid his head back and shut his eyes.

"Do you want us to leave dad so that you can get some rest?"

"No, I'm just resting my eyes, plus I like you guys here. Just stay and talk, or turn on the TV or something." The four were watching the news when they heard it. The constant beep…

Haley ran out into the hall and grabbed the first nurse she found. The nurse looked at Whitey's chart before checking vitals and paging a doctor.

"Aren't you going to do something? Save him!"

"We cant. He's DNR, he didn't want to be resuscitated."

"That's it, we just watch him die now? No!" Haley took off running through the door and down the stairs, heading for the sliding door that would lead her outside. Nathan took off after her, already drenched by the rain when he found her huddled in a ball under a tree on the side of the hospital. He sat down next to her and pulled her against him. She fisted the front of his wet shirt as her body began to tremble and she let out a sob. Pent up tears began falling relentlessly from her eyes as she finally began to grieve after all of these months. Grieve for her life with Nathan. Grieve for her Grandfather. And grieve for the person she has become.

_Thank you so much for reading and I would love to know what you thought of it! Only one more chapter left!_


	7. Chapter 7

_Thank you so much to LaaLaa19 and firefightersgal for your reviews! I am so sad that this is the last chapter, but I will do a sequel for it, but it won't be out for a while. Here's the last chapter, I hope you enjoy it!_

**Wake-up**

**Chapter 7**

_Breath deep_

_Speak out_

_Make up your mind_

_Be brave_

_Follow your dreams_

_Listen to your heart_

_Close your eyes_

_Make a wish_

As the new generation of Scotts and James, the traditional Thanksgiving dinner was held at Nathan and Haley's house. It ran smoothly, the food being catered and the house was professionally decorated in the autumn spirit. After everyone left Haley grabbed her glass of wine and sat down on the couch next to Nathan.

"Well that went surprisingly well for a Scott dinner. You can never predict what secrets will come out of the woodwork whenever we have family get-togethers. You okay?"

"Peachy."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"First holiday without Whitey? You're human Haley, it's okay to show emotion."

"Well you're one to give advice on that subject. We've been married for nearly three months now and I have barely seen any emotion from you."

"Yeah, since I come from such an emotional family. You know my dad and grandfather. To them, when you show emotion you show weakness. If an enemy sees your emotions, then they'll know how to hit you where it hurts."

"So that's it, it's okay for you to not show emotion because of the way you grew up, but with me it's a totally different story. Nice double-standard."

"Oh, get off it. We're different. It's not a double standard it's the truth. You act like I don't get your life, like no one understands you. Grow up."

"Stop acting like you know me, you don't!"

"You're just a spoiled little rich girl that the world put on a pedestal. We grew up together Haley. I didn't just meet you, I know you."

"You don't shit about me. This just proves it."

"Really, well enlighten me."

Haley slammed her glass down on the table. "Damn it Nathan. What do you want me to say? You really want the truth? Fine. I've gone around my whole life wearing a perfectly painted mask because I had to play the part of the perfect daughter, and now, I can't even remember what's underneath it. I'm too scared to take it off because of what I might find. I have a huge heart, but have so many insecurities coursing through me that I am too scared to open it up to anyone. All I've ever wanted from life is to get my Happily Ever After, but looks like that one has been thrown right out the window. And as much as I cling to any hope I can find and try to keep reassuring myself that everything happens for a reason, I can't help but feel that this is it for me. I'll always be some cold heartless bitch who hides behind a mask of perfection. Maybe I should take after you and go around screwing someone new every night acting like I don't have a care in the world."

"You're not the only one wearing a mask. Do you honestly think I like acting like I don't care? Do you really think that I get off on being able to hook up with someone new every night? That might have been fine in high school or college, but it gets old. You don't think that I don't want someone just like you do? But see, that's life. It's a bitch, but you just have to suck it up and keep going. The world isn't going to stop because we hurt or don't like the way our lives are going."

"Well, guess we finally agree on something." They both sulked leaning back into the cushions of the couch just as all the lights in the house went off. "On no, this is not happening again."

"Do you want me to go get the candles so we have some light?"

"I don't care." For once, Haley was thankful for the blackout because Nathan couldn't see the emotions that were running across her face after. She reached out for her wine glass before falling back into the couch.

"Going to get plastered so you can blame this on alcohol in the morning again."

"What?"

"Oh, don't act all innocent. The entire time we have been married I've seen the real you three times. That night of the blackout, the night Whitey died, and tonight. You blamed the first one on alcohol, and now you'll probably blame this one on it too. Step up and take some responsibility."

"It takes two to tango Nathan. You were a part of the black-out night as much as I was, so step up and take some responsibility."

"Fine, you want the truth, I loved that night. Are you happy now?"

"Yes! You?"

"Yes!"

"Good."

"Good."

Haley finished the rest of the wine in her glass before putting the glass back down on the table. As she sat there amidst the darkness she left Nathan's hand cup her face before covering her lips with his. The kiss quickly escalated as they maneuvered so that Haley was lying down with Nathan hovering over her.

"The only reason I blamed it on the alcohol that night was because I was scared that you were. I guess I just wanted to say it first to sort of soften the blow."

"No more. No more lies, or masks, or anything else between us."

"I don't think I can. I just…can't. I'm not strong enough."

"You are the most feisty and stubborn person I know. You can do it. We can do it. You just have to have a little bit of hope. We can't keep going like this. I hate being this bitter."

"Please don't break me."

"I promise."

Nathan rolled to the side of Haley and they lay together on the couch. As they held each other close, they couldn't help but be nervous for what their futures would hold now. But whatever is was, they would face it together.

They pealed off the layers of their masks, exposing their true selves to one another. Nearly a month later they found themselves on that same couch again, this time next to the large tree, adorned with lights and ornaments over the many festively wrapped presents. It was Christmas Eve in the Scott house, and both their parents had just left after the six of them celebrated the evening together.

"It's almost midnight, but that's close enough for me, so are you ready for your Christmas present?" Haley's eyes widened. Christmas had been her favorite holiday since she could remember.

"You're not going to make me wait until tomorrow morning."

"Yes and no. You don't get to open all of them now, but you can open up one."

"Okay. Do I pick one or do I have to open a specific one." Nathan didn't answer; instead he pulled out one of the packages from behind the tree. She unwrapped it to find an old book. She traced the gold embossed title on the brown leather cover, Cinderella. She carefully opened it up to find pages stained a light brown from time and beautiful, hand-painted illustrations.

"Oh, Nathan, it's beautiful."

"Um, there's actually a bit of a reason I got this. It's just that for the past couple of… well for the last month there's been a difference. I mean, of course there's been a difference, but see…Well the thing is there's something I haven't told you. Wow, I thought this would have been a lot easier to get out."

"Nathan?" Haley stared up at him, her eyes wide in confusion. Fear coursed through her, unsure of what he had to say.

"Ok, so here it is, I feel these things for you that I've never felt before. They are so strong and so overpowering that I can't ignore them anymore. That night about a month ago was one of the best nights of my life, and I thought it was for you too. I realize that I am taking a huge risk here, but I have to tell you because a part of me hopes that you feel the same way. I fell for you. Nathan Scott who has never fallen for anyone has fallen head over heels for you. So there it is, I think I love you." Nathan searched her eyes for some sort of response but he couldn't find one.

"Wow."

"I mean if you don't feel the same way it's fine, we'll just keep on going like we are. I just thought that if you did then we could take it to what I guess would be the next level. I mean we have become friends, or a couple, or whatever our relationship has become this last month, but I want more. I want to be someone you're proud of. I want to be your Prince Charming. You deserve that happily ever after you've always wanted Hales." Haley's eyes began to fill with unshed tears at his confession. Her fears and self-doubt where slowly flying out the window at the thought that she was good enough for him.

"No." Nathan nodded his head in defeat before he turned and started to walk away. Haley quickly took a couple of steps after him before reaching out for his arm and turning him to face her. "No, I mean no as in I don't want things to stay as they are. I want that too. I am proud of you Nathan. This past month you have shown me how good you are. I want to be like a normal, happily married couple too, but how do we know that it will be happily ever after instead of happily next couple of months? How do I know that I will be good enough for you, forever?" Haley's eyes were brimming with tears at the thoughts.

"You just have to trust me. I know that you are it for me. You are all I want, now and forever. No one can compare to you Hales. You are beautiful inside and out, and I can't help but feel like a better person when I am around you. That's why you will always be more than enough for me Hales. But if you are having doubts now, then I need to know if I am enough for you?"

"When I would go and see Whitey we would talk about anything and everything. He would tell me a lot about what he has learned in life. One of the days he told me, 'the important thing is to not be bitter over life's difficulties. Learn to let go of the past and recognize that everyday won't be sunny. And when you find yourself lost in darkness and despair, remember…it's only in the black of night that you can see the stars, and those stars will lead you back home…So don't be afraid to make mistakes, to stumble, to fall, cause most of the time, the greatest rewards come from doing things that scare you the most. Maybe you won't get everything you wish for…or maybe you'll get more than you ever could've imagined. Who knows where life will take you…the road is long, and in the end the journey is the destination.' I may not have gotten what I have wished for, but I think that's because I have always been wishing for the wrong things. I never wished for you, the real you. You will always be enough for me Nathan. That and the fact that I know I love you." One single tear slowly descended down her cheek before Nathan brought his thumb up to wipe away the stray tear. He kissed the area where he had erased her tear before moving his lips to cover hers. The passion, desire, and love that had been hidden so deep and carefully within their hearts came surging out of them and into their kiss. Since the creation of the kiss, there have been five kissed that were rated the most passionate. This one left them all behind.

Thank you so much for reading! I totally stole that last two sentences from Princess Bride, I love that movie, so credit for those goes to the writers of that movie. I would love to know what you thought of the story! Hope it was the ending you wanted, I know I love happy Naley endings! And I have decided to do a sequel, but I'm in the middle of a couple of other stories and ideas so it probably won't come out for a while. Thanks again for reading!


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